So, who is the Cattle Baron?

Representative Tim Moffitt has ridden in on a black horse; he wears a black hat. In short, even Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers could not stop him from taking the ranch and the water rights. This is an old story, the local pol, in bed with the guys who want to keep the water rights to themselves, shut outs the sheep herders and controls everything.

This does indeed resemble one of those classic American tales. The rich cattle baron wants homesteaders’ water rights. He offers them pennies on the dollar to walk away from their land. If they will not accept his generous offer, he’ll send in his henchmen to take it by force. He has no fear of lawmen. He owns them, too.

Now, at this point in our morality tale, we know who the homesteaders are. We know who the henchmen are (Moffitt and McGrady). So, who is the mysterious cattle baron who gives them their orders?

I don’t think it is entirely unrelated that Heath Shuler, Blue Dog I think is his cowboy alias, has hired on as a gunslinger lobbyist with the Duke. Duke Energy, that is.

There’s a sad tale for ya. Once, a long time ago, he was considered a hero. Then he was recruited by dark forces to enter politics and ever since he has been in the employ of the Galactic- wait, that’s the wrong movie.

The part of the rich cattle baron in this instance is being played by a southern industrial oligarchy that looks at North Dakota, and Alberta Canada with lusty passion.

I often ask myself what it must have been that a certain rancher named Billy Johnston refused to go along with that got him run out of town. Never has been explained, as far as I know. He’s not talking either. Be a shame if he did and something bad happened back at the ranch. Weather sure has been dry lately.

Macquarie Capital. Their Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Geoff Segal, is the “ALEC Private Sector Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force”. He proposed the “Establishing a Public-Private Partnership (P3) Authority Act” (adopted) at the 2011 ALEC conference. It is this proposed legislation that would be the blunt instrument to force govt. entities all over North Carolina (and whatever other state enacts it) to strongly consider privatizing their infrastructure. Macquaries NC lobbyist McGuireWoods strongly pushed this legislation in Tim Moffitt’s House PPP Committee, and recently gave money to Tim Moffitt’s campaign.